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I use essay items a lot and every once in a while, I have highly computer literate participants who try to use the ctrl + arrow keys to navigate in the text they have written (to move the cursor by words). However, this causes medialab to jump to the next or last item ("secrect key" feature).
A solution to this problem would be an option to disable or change the "secret keys"
Jan
Coincidentally, we did add an extra key for this in the 2008 version--but only for skipping questionnaires or for ending the experiment. From the guide:
[LEFT][COLOR=#555555][QUOTE][LEFT][COLOR=#555555]In previous versions, the combination [I]Alt + Right Arrow[/I] would end the current questionnaire or file. Because this combination is now commonly used in web browsing we added a [I]shift[/I] key to the combination to avoid accidental endings.[/COLOR][/LEFT][/QUOTE][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#555555][/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LEFT][COLOR=#555555]Honestly, I didn't even know you could use ctrl+right (or left) to skip words. If that's the case, then that would certainly make sense to provide an option to disable the secret keys. Will put this on the to-do list for the next version. In the mean time, a couple possible work arounds would be [/COLOR][/LEFT]
[LIST=1][*][LEFT][COLOR=#555555]download and install a shareware keyboard mapping program that will allow you to disable the ctrl and/or arrow keys, or [/COLOR][/LEFT][*][LEFT][COLOR=#555555]put tape over or physically remove the control keys for these sessions. And yes, I apologize for how silly the last suggestion sounds but to be honest, that's probably the quickest work-around aside from installing a re-mapping utility. [/COLOR][/LEFT][/LIST][LEFT][COLOR=#555555][/COLOR][/LEFT]
Blair,
is this fixed already? Unfortunately, a lot of people nowadays use keyboard shortcuts to navigate through text. As you know, we use essay type items for years now, as our main DVs. So, we really need this "feature".
Best
Rene
See also: [URL="http://www.empirisoft.com/support/showthread.php?t=424"]www.empirisoft.com/support/showthread.php?t=424[/URL]
Have just added a "Disable Secret Keys" option to the MediaLab [I]Preferences[/I] menu. Will be active in v2008.1.33 and later (to be posted later tonight, November 11th, 2008).